One type of kiln often used by finished ware manufactures to fire low fired and high fired ceramic products is called a "hobby kiln" (e.g., the 3 to 11 cubic foot, 8, 10 or 12 sided "hobby kilns" sold under the trade designation "Paragon Touch n Fire(trade mark)" by Paragon Industries, Inc., Mesquite, Tex.; sold as models 818 through 1227-3 by Skutt Kiln Company, Portland, Oreg.; sold as models S18 through 3027 oval by Olympic, Atlanta, Ga.; and sold as models 1728 through 3536 by Aim's Kiln, San Diego, Calif.). While such "hobby kilns" can not fire the quantity of products that can be fired in industrial kilns, they provide the advantage of firing a smaller amount of products in about a 24 hour time period, which makes them more versatile for use in some production situations. Such "hobby kilns" include a body having an outer side surface defined by a layer of sheet metal, a ceramic lining having an upper surface and defining a chamber recessed from and opening through that upper surface, which chamber is adapted to receive ceramic objects to be cured. The kiln also includes a lid adapted, when closed, to rest on that upper surface and to extend across the opening. That lid includes a layer of ceramic material defining upper and lower surfaces for the lid, and a metal strap or binding member tensioned around the layer of ceramic to retain the ceramic material in the layer, define the periphery of the lid, and provide a structure to which related hardware can be fastened. Electrically operated or gas fired means are provided for heating the chamber so that, with the lid supported on the upper surface of the body, green or glazed ceramic can be cured within the chamber. Such heating causes expansion of the ceramic lining relative to the layer of sheet metal, including in the vertical direction. The kiln includes a hinge assembly mounting one side of the lid on one side of the layer of sheet metal of the body, which hinge assembly affords pivoting the lid around a pivot pin carried by the lid from its closed position to an open position spaced from the top surface of the body. That hinge assembly typically allows movement of the pivot pin vertically in slots in a portion of the hinge assembly mounted on the body so that the lid can move vertically relative to the layer of sheet material of the body to accommodate expansion of the ceramic lining during heating of the kiln. Such lids are heavy because of the quantity of ceramic material they include, require a high initial lifting force applied at an inconvenient height above the floor on which the person lifting the lid is typically standing (e.g., at a height of about three and one half feet for a seven to ten cubic foot kiln), and typically require the person opening the lid to change his hand position while leaning over the body during opening of the lid (e.g., in the fully open position of the lid the lid handle at the front of the lid is at a height of over six feet and is over the top of the body about 22 inches from the front of the body). Consequently, the lids are frequently dropped while partially open, which can injure the person opening the lid, and often results in breakage of the ceramic material in the lid or body so that repair of the kiln is required. Such lids on some kilns are moved to an open position where the center of gravity of the lid is on the side of the pivot pin opposite the body, and are retained in that open position by lengths of chain tensioned between opposite sides of the body and corresponding opposite sides of the lid. Tension on the chains in this position can deform the ceramic lining in the body, changing it from round to oval so that it repair is required. The chains can get in the way of loading and unloading the kilns. Also, a person can inadvertently hit one of the chains and cause the lid to close unexpectedly so that it can either strike the person using the kiln or can crash onto the body of the kiln. Such lids on other kilns are moved to an open position where the center of gravity of the lid is over the body, and are retained in that position by a mechanical two bar linkage between the lid and the body on one or both sides of the kiln. Those two bar linkages can get in the way of loading and unloading the kilns. Also, it is sometimes difficult to insure that the two bars of such linkages are locked together in their open position and a person can inadvertently move such linkages, thereby allowing the lid to close unexpectedly. These problems are particularly severe for kilns that are over 7 cubic feet in chamber size where the lids can weigh over 60 pounds and are over 34 inches in diameter.